Display card



Feb. 14, W39. c. TATE 2,147,470

DISPLAY CARD I Filed July 20, 1957 Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,147,470 DISPLAY CARD of Massachusetts Application July 20, 1937, Serial No. 154,580

4 Claims.

This invention has to do with a display card for holding small articles and more particularly for holding flat articles which have an intermediate neck portion narrower than a head portion above it, For example, an article to which the invention appertains is a suspension device or hanger for picture frames or the like, which may be stamped out from a metal sheet in the form of an eye with a plate at the bottom thereof. In such case, the eye is the head portion of the article, the juncture between the eye and the plate is the neck portion, and the plate itself is the body portion. It is an object of the invention to provide a card having slits cut therein to receive the object to be held, the slits being so shaped and arranged as to facilitate the rapid mounting of articles on the card and the positive retention of the articles on the card in such a manner as to make removal thereof difficult without partly destroying the card.

According to the invention, two slits are made for each article, the slits being so related as to form a strip or band of the card material arranged to overlie the neck portion of the article while the head and body portions of the article bear on the upper face of the card. The article is positively held in position on the card but can readily be removed therefrom when the strip is broken.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the disclosure thereof in the following description, and to the drawing of which Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a display card embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a similar View showing the first step of inserting an article to be held by the card.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the second step of inserting an article.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the article in its final position.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'l-'| of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a section similar to Figure 7 showing an intermediate step of the operation of mounting the article on the card.

Figure 9 is a section on the line 99 of Figure 5.

Figures 10, 11 and 12 shoW examples of modified forms of the invention.

The drawing illustrates a card for holding and displaying articles such as picture hangers, that is, articles which are preferably more or less flat and which include an intermediate neck portion above which is a wider head portion and below which is a body portion. Figure 1 shows a card having two slits out therein The lower slit 22 is horizontal and has upturned ends 24, These ends preferably terminate on a line with the lower portion 26 of the second slit which is U- shaped. This slit, in addition to the bottom portion 26, has upright side portions 28 from the upper ends of which extensions 30 project in opposite directions. These slits form a strip or band 32 and a pair of angular ears 34 by which the article to be displayed is positively locked in position on the card. Figure 2 illustrates a picture hanger or suspension device which is adapted to be inserted in the slits. As shown, the picture hanger may comprise an intermediate neck portion surmounted by a circular head portion 42, and a body portion 44 below the neck portion 4!]. The head portion of the hanger is provided with a central aperture 46 adapted to receive a hook or wire by which a picture or other object may be suspended. In the body portion 44 are a pair of prongs 48 struck up from the material of the hanger and pointed so as to be driven into the frame of a picture or other object. A suitable nail hole 50 may also be provided in the body portion to receive a reinforcing nail or brad.

As indicated in Figure 2, a picture hanger is mounted upon the card by first having its upper end thrust through the slit 22 and then up through the slit portion 26, In order to receive the head 42, the distance between the ends of the slit 22 must be slightly greater than the maximum diameter of the head portion 42 of the hanger. As indicated in Figure 3, the hanger is then pushed upward until the neck 40 reaches the bottom portion 26 of the upper slit. This bottom portion has a length substantially equal to the minimum width of the neck 40. At this stage, the ears 34 overlie portions of the head 42. The upper portion of the card is then bent back, as indicated in Figure 8, so as to snap the ears 34 behind the head 42. The ears then lie under the head 42 and substantially in the same plane as the card 20. This results in the entire hanger bearing against the front face of the card with the exception of a portion just below the narrowest width of the neck, which underlies the strip or band 32. It is evident that, since the neck 40 fits snugly into the lower portion 26 of the U-shaped slit, the hanger cannot be pulled downward without injuring or destroying the card. If the body portion 44 of the hanger is wider than the distance between the extremities of the ends 24, then the upward movement of the hanger beyond the position shown in Figure 5 is thereby limited. The hanger illustrated on the drawing, however, also has the prongs 48 which project out of the plane of the remainder of the hanger. These prongs may be located so as to be at or near the lower edge of the band 32 when the hanger is in its correct position on the card. Thus the prongs will engage the strip or band 32 to prevent upward movement of the hanger from its correct position on the card. Thus the hanger is positively locked in place on the card and can be removed only with difiiculty therefrom unless the strip 32 is broken to release it.

The specific shapes of the two cuts or slits in the card may be varied to some extent. In the form shown in Figure l, the midpositions of both slits are straight. The side portions 28 of the upper slit diverge and extend upward to approximately the line of maximum diameter of the head portion of the hanger. In .Figure 10, the side portions 52 of the upper slit are shown as shorter and parallel. In Figure 11, the upper slit 54 is mostly curvilinear, the lower slit 56 being arcuate. The lower slit may have its ends extended upward above the line of the bottom portion 26 of the upper slit, as illustrated at 58 in Figure 12. This permits the accommodation of articles having relatively thick neck portions. It is evident that various other shapes may be employed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:-

1. A display .card for an article having a neck portion and a head portion of greater width than the neck, said card having a lower horizontal slit with upturned ends spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the width of said head por-- tion, said card also having a Ushaped slit above said lower slit having its lower portion equal in width to said neck and disposed between the up- .turned ends of said lower slit, the upper portions of said U-shaped slit extending away from each other to points spaced by a distance not less than the width of said head portion.

2. A display card for an article having a neck portion and a head portion of greater width, said card having a U-shaped slit with a lower portion equal in width to said neck and an upper portion having opposite lateral extensions terminating at points spaced apart a distance not less than the width of said head portion, said card having a second slit beneath the first slit forming with the lower part thereof a band having its ends integral with the card, the ends of said second slit being spaced a, distance not less than the Width of said head portion.

3. A display card for an article having a neck portion and a wider head portion, said card having a U-shaped slit with a horizontal bottom segment equal in width to said neck portion, upwardly diverging side segments, and horizontal upper segments extending away from each other to points spaced by a distance not less than the width of said head portion, said card having a secondslit below the U-shaped slit of sufficient total length to permit the insertion of said head portion therethrough, said second slit having a horizontal middle portion parallel to said bottom segment of the ,U-shaped slit and upturned end portions terminating on a line with said bottom segment.

4. In combination, an article for display having a neck portion, a wider head portion, and a body portion below said neck portion, and a display card on which said article is mounted, said card having a pair of slits therein through which said article is inserted, said slits forming a strip extending over said neck portion and a pair of ears underlying said head portion adjacent to said neck portion to prevent downward retraction of said article through said slits.

CHRISTOPHER TATE. 

